


Bad Luck

by anziety



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst with a Happy Ending, Explicit Language, M/M, Minor Character(s), They’re All Adults HAHA, even bby jongho, honghwa if you squint!, jongho is that cute lil brother bestie boy, very angsty actually
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2020-08-19 16:48:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20213038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anziety/pseuds/anziety
Summary: To put it in simple words, Yunho is desperately looking for his soulmate while San doesn’t want to be found.





	1. Bad Luck

**Author's Note:**

> hi !! omg ok so,, i’m mariam and PLS bare with me!! i’ve been writing for a while but this is my first time actually publishing something on here :( i’m quite anxious because i have no idea what i’m doing,, YIKES ok so yes bare with me ! <3 
> 
> also !! i was listening to bad luck by khalid when i decided i wanted to force myself out of writer’s block and write smth so .. that explains the title hehe ..

_Before one meets their soulmate, they are completely color-blind. The condition is known as Achromatopsia, and the only cure is meeting the partner that one is destined to be with. The colors come eventually, starting from any color of the color wheel and ending with all of them together. Slowly, their vision is granted to them, along with someone they can spend the rest of their life with._

_Yunho has always longed to meet his one and only. San never felt extremely drawn to the fact that somewhere out there, someone was waiting. A person’s choices affected their soulmate as well. Where they move, their soulmate will be bound to move there as well. When being faced with death, if one hasn’t met their soulmate yet, they will be resurrected._

_One day, Yunho is aboard a subway when he notices a boy with wide eyes staring back at him. It only takes him a second to realize why, taking in the bright color of the other’s hoodie, while the rest of the boy remained black and white. San notices Yunho as well, but what does he do about it? He runs._

_That is when the terribly long, angst-filled chase for love begins._


	2. Wake Up

One of the many things Yunho hated most in the world was running tedious errands. He always had much better things to do, like bothering Seonghwa, his best friend, or perhaps binge-watching his favorite tv shows. 

By the time he stopped by the library, the bank, supermarket AND shoe-store to return a pair of shoes that’d suddenly become too small when he got home to try them on again, he was more-so ticked off than exhausted. Of course, adult life and the many obstacles that came with it was something not only he went through but nearly every adult did. 

It seemed that having a soulmate softened the blow of stress, anxiety and overall the harshness of adulting. 

There he was pondering about the entire soulmate extravaganza, in the middle of a bustling street, once again. The brown-haired man couldn’t help but scoff at his own actions, pulling himself out of his own thoughts and proceeding with his route. 

Seonghwa had constantly bothered him about his apartment being too dull and depressing, claiming that anyone who walked into the fixture would leave smelling like sadness and tears as if those had any scent at all. Quite frankly, there was no difference in the way his apartment looked. Everything was black, white and grey to Yunho, anyway. 

He figured that Seonghwa might’ve been right, so there he also was, making his way into a flower shop knowing well that he had no sense of what would look nice in his apartment and what wouldn’t. Maybe Seonghwa should’ve come with him, considering he was the one with the proper vision and ’taste’. The older man was too busy with his own soulmate, Hongjoong, and didn't have time for Yunho’s ridiculous decor crisis, which Seonghwa summoned himself.

There he goes again, envying Seonghwa and that stupid soulmate of his that made him want to do anything but hold the right amount of patience for his own to appear one day. The poor man was troubled, and so sickeningly curious what all of the hype around meeting this one person was about. But overall, he was just lonely. One couldn’t blame him for the moping he does when he’s all alone on a rainy night, when he’s on a subway and sees a couple holding hands, or when he walks in on Seonghwa cuddling with that partner of his. 

There wasn't a day that went by where he didn't think about his soulmate, and _that_ said something about why finding one’s ’second half’ was so important. It seemed like the purpose of life revolved around it. 

Walking into the flower shop, he was immediately greeted with a scent of freshness which finally distracted him from his prancing mind. He wandered aimlessly for a moment, before settling on pots of pretty-looking plants. It was upsetting that he couldn't see the true beauty of the organisms, but he’d be able to see them soon, right?

The thing with Yunho was that he was so daringly hopeful. It was easy for him to get his hopes up and have them crushed, but it was this habit of his that was nearly impossible to break. 

He was so focused on the plants when he spotted a flash of something in the corner of his vision, something so quick but obvious that had him turning to look. It seemed that a person had simply left the shop, but Yunho could’ve sworn that he’d seen something that was out of the ordinary. To him, at least. 

Picking up his potted plants, the man quickly paid for them and left the shop. 

✁

”I think I saw something today.” San said out loud, hands folded on his chest as he stared at the wall, lying on his mattress. He squinted, trying to reanimate the close memory of whatever happened in the flower shop. It was different in his perspective, of course, but he was quite sure that he caught a glimpse of something in the corner of his eye as he left the store. 

Choi San was a complete hater of the universe, or that’s what Jongho called him. He liked to call himself a skeptic instead.

The two had been friends for probably a decade, having met one another in their early childhood years and have been friends since then. It was funny how they both bonded on the fact that they were absolutely disgusted by the topic of love and soulmates, but Jongho made a complete 180 when he hit puberty. San did all he could to change the other’s mind, but as their minds matured, San became more accepting and Jongho became hornier. 

It was selfish of him to pull Jongho down the road of anti-soulmates with him, so he let the boy make his own choices. As long as he wouldn't interfere with San’s opinions and to this day, Jongho has absolutely no idea why San gets so upset upon hearing the words soul and mate combined.

”I don’t know what it was. It was strange, though. Like, I know I saw something but I’m not sure at the same time. You know?” San added. Once he finished off, Jongho couldn’t help but chuckle, more-so towards what he was looking at on his phone than at San. He paid attention enough, though. 

”You sound like a complete stoner.” Jongho added, thumb sliding across his phone screen as he scrolled through updates on the bird app. 

”You don't understand, dude, really! It was.. Weird.” He sighed, frustrated by his own confusion and curiosities. It was almost like waking up from a dream and having any memory of it wiped from his mind. 

”Maybe you saw color.”

”Don’t fuck with me, Jongho.”

”I’m serious! You couldn’t possibly know what color looks like, so maybe thats what you saw. You should’ve followed after what you ‘saw’ instead of leaving, I don't know..”

”...Bullshit.” San muttered, frowning as he curled up against his mattress, now facing Jongho, who was once again, probably chuckling at something corny that’d appeared on his timeline. San didn't want to think of the possibilities of whatever he saw to be connected to his soulmate, because he simply wasn’t ready. Ready for what? Who knew? That had always been San’s excuse. 

”San, you’re going to meet your _soulmate_ one day, whether you like it or not. I don’t care how against the idea you are, it’s as inevitable as it can get.” The boy emphasized the word to get the other going because he was quite good at that. 

”Jongho..” San grimaced at the word. 

Jongho continued on, “I don’t really see why you’re so scared? I’ve never been able to ask because _someone_ always gets defensive when—” 

“Jongho, please.”

The sternness in San’s voice had the younger boy quieting down, huffing out a breath as he focused on his phone again. Jongho knew his limits and San was aware that he knew, so he didn't feel any remorse for shutting him up so quickly. 

There was a cold silence that entered the atmosphere afterward, neither of the boys speaking or making an attempt to. It wasn't until San let out a shaky sigh when Jongho straightened up, gathering every ounce of his attention and offering it towards his best friend.

”Promise you won’t leave me once you’ve found yours?” San didn't have to specify what he meant as he knew Jongho would understand. His voice was quiet, yet full of hope. 

The younger boy stood up from where he sat and made his way towards the bed, setting himself down and wrapping his arms around his best friend. It was an awkward position with San laying down and Jongho sitting up, but they made it work. 

No words had to be said in order for comfort to be shared and with that, Jongho ended up staying the night for he knew San and how the rest of his day would go. The younger boy wanted to be there, making sure he ate and slept at the right time. He felt the need to do so, or else San would probably starve himself whilst he stayed up for most of the night, drowning himself in his own thoughts. 

It was now dark outside and chilly. After San settled into bed and Jongho made it clear that he’d be staying over (San had trust issues which Jongho didn't understand given their _ancient_ friendship) their conversation dwindled and the room was quiet again. 

Jongho knew that this wouldn’t be able to continue, especially when he found his own soulmate and couldn’t be there for San all the time. It broke his heart knowing that he had to break it to San one day, having no clue what San’s reaction might be once reality hit him in the face and gave him a black eye and busted lip. Although he was younger, it was almost like San was his little brother at times. 

“You’ll come around one day, San.” Jongho sighed, watching the curled up boy engulf himself within in his blankets. He was finally asleep, after Jongho coaxed him into doing so.

He would come around one day.


	3. Dodging Trains and Other Things

Two weeks had gone by since the entire.. incident had occurred and believe it or not, Yunho had somehow pushed it into the back of his mind. It was with the help of Seonghwa, who convinced the younger boy that whatever he saw was something that he probably wouldn’t see again. Damn, was he wrong.

Yunho could agree that he was on edge that day, so he nudged the thought into the deepest and darkest corner of his mind and kept it there, going on with his life and once again, hoping. That was what kept him going; Hope.

It was a rainy, Tuesday morning when Yunho had decided to tag along to Seonghwa’s job interview, only to calm the nerves of the jittery male. He wouldn’t be there in the process of the interview, of course, but he knew how Seonghwa got when it came to his nerves. All Yunho wanted to do was make sure Seonghwa didn’t chicken out last minute and Seonghwa was appreciative of that little, extra push.

Making their way into the subway station, Seonghwa rambled on about who-knows-what and Yunho couldn't help but space out at least once or twice. He stuffed his cold hands into his pockets, seeking refuge within the fleece-lining. Yunho thought it would be nice to have a nice mug of hot cocoa, perhaps sitting in front of a fire while his soulmate snuggled into—

“Hey, Seonghwa?” Yunho interrupted, eyebrows dark and furrowed against his forehead before he started again, “Remember that thing I saw like a couple of weeks ago?” and with that, a long sigh is released from Seonghwa’s direction.

There he goes again.

“Yes, Yunho, I do remember. I also remember when you hit me for suggesting that you were possibly seeing things and/or going a bit crazy.. I remember all too well, actually.” The older man let out yet another sigh before he broke out into a gentle laugh.

As much as Yunho was sometimes a force to be reckoned with, Seonghwa was willing to stick by the other’s side like a magnet. It was almost like being an owner of a little, golden retriever that plays with him and clings to him when he really needs it — but also pees on his clothes and chews up his things.

Quickening his pace a bit, Seonghwa smirked towards the younger man, nudging him with his arm. “What about it, huh? You’re still thinking about that?” He teased.

Yunho gave him a look, scrunching his nose as he looked towards an animated advertisement on the tiled wall of the station. Maybe he could use all of his life savings to put up an advertisement in search of his one and only. The thought made him mentally snort.

“I don’t know, actually. I think about it during the most inconvenient times, like now. Or while I was doing laundry last week..” He said, a pout taking its form upon his lips.

They made their way onto the waiting platform, making it just in time for the next subway to arrive. Yunho watched as passengers boarded the train, eyes never seeming to adjust to the blur of monochrome bodies piling into the train car. It was getting tiring, seeing nothing but boring black, white and grey ever since he could remember seeing.

At some points, it wasn’t even about finding someone to love but also getting to see what he’s never been able to. Yunho let out a gentle breath, merging into the crowd with Seonghwa and becoming part of the blur as well.

✁

San had woken up that morning with a note plastered where he could surely see it, upon his mirror that was filled with a bunch of polaroids, to-do lists and more. Jongho made sure he’d see it because the first thing San did every morning was look at himself in the mirror. Why? Just a habit, he claimed.

It read a simple message of Jongho apologizing for leaving so soon. In the younger male’s chicken scratch called handwriting, he also mentioned for San to get the hell up and have a productive day. He didn't forget to add a little smiley face at the end. San could practically hear the boy’s voice as he scanned through the note.

With errands to run and near deadlines to turn things in, San simply couldn't avoid the icicles of responsibilities that threatened to drop down and stab him to insanity - He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and prepared himself for the day, wearing an outfit that was comfortable enough to get him through his activities.

He was out the door when his phone rang, Jongho’s caller id appearing on his phone screen. He picked up without hesitation, as if it was a natural instinct.

“San? Are you out of bed yet?” The younger boy inquired, making San sigh. Maybe picking up so quickly was a bad habit he needed to break.

“Mm, I’m up. Is that the only reason why you called?”

“Well.. I mean... Perhaps.”

The two conversed for a while, and by the time San finally hung up, he had arrived at the train station, which wouldn't have great phone service at all.

He checked the train schedule, eyes scanning over the written destinations and train numbers that were displayed upon the wide screen. He soon regretted turning down Jongho’s offer to tag along with him before he hung up, but he honestly wanted to be independent for once. He knew how much he leaned on the younger boy’s shoulder and it was growing to become a bit selfish, he thought. 

The blonde-haired boy made his own way to the waiting platform and wasted no time getting onto the designated train that would take him to his destination in no time. 

He usually spent train rides reflecting on matters that weren't super important, but definitely interesting to think about. Conspiracy theories were his favorite - He could spend months dwelling on the single theory that maybe GPS’ gave people longer routes because they were teaming up with gas companies. Or how many celebrity deaths were faked and that they were still living their lives on some island that is being kept a secret from the government.. 

San couldn't help but smirk at his own thoughts. Yes, they were a bit of a stretch (especially the celebrity death cover-ups) but it was what kept him distracted. 

He pulled out his earbuds and within minutes of detangling and letting a little bit of anger out onto the wires, he positioned them in his ears and plugged them into his phone, playing a random playlist he’d saved onto the device. 

Hold Up by Beyoncé.  _Skip_.  LP by Red Velvet. _Skip_. Want by Taemin.  _Skip_. Bad Luck by Khalid.  _Volume up._

San skipping his favorite songs meant that that day was going to be rather strange, but he didn’t notice until things were too late. 

He sat in silence, letting his eyes shut as he mentally sang along, his hands stuffed within his pockets to find warmth. 

_’Cause if you’re gonna leave me, you better run far away. I’d hate for you to leave me attached —_

Train rides weren’t always the smoothest, and there were these rough moments that had San shifting in his place, bumping back into his sear and nearly collided into a woman beside him. It all evolved into him opening his eyes, looking around to keep himself from falling or anything but, caught himself staring at something he somehow wished he didn’t see(?). 

It was color. Actual color. Because what the fuck else could it be? 

San’s initial reaction was to stare. It was a pair of boots, bright in a color that somehow resembled warmth and comfort. Was that brown? He didn’t know and he didn’t care to know. What he’d been avoiding all of his life was staring right back at him, real and.. there. He had found his soulmate, but he wasn’t ready. 

He could only pray that the individual wouldn’t look back at him, and when San went to look up towards the owner of the boots, his breath hitched within his throat to see that his hair was the same color. Locks of hair that looked so soft and if only San could run his hands through— It was happening, and San wasn’t dreaming.

Oh, wow... It was  _happening_ . 

The more he looked, the more he realized how many other things were the same color all over the train and its passengers. Purses, coats, and.. San was overwhelmed. 

He needed to get off of that train, no matter where the next stop would be or if he could potentially get lost trying to find his way home or if— He was losing it and his soulmate was sitting there looking as  _handsome_ as ever and San simply couldn’t— 

The brown-haired man across the train had looked up from whatever his friend was showing him, letting out a small laugh and muttering a faint word that began with an S, San assumed. He quickly realized it was the name of the man beside him, because the other looked up and laughed as well. 

Ordinary San would’ve wondered why they were laughing or what they were looking at, but this San could barely process what was going on let alone care to feel an ounce of curiosity towards the pair of strangers. 

He wasn’t going to say that things were good when the man hadn’t looked up yet, because it was bad enough that San had blown his ‘cover’ in trying to avoid his soulmate without even knowing who he was (which was like trying to color-code shoes without actually knowing what color looked like). Things only immediately worsened when the man took notice of the panicked boy. 

It seemed that he wasn’t the only one seeing things, but as soon as the other seemed to analyze what the fuck was happening, the train came to a stop and San was on his feet before anyone could say the word feet. 

This definitely wasn’t his stop, and the next train that was going to where he needed to be wouldn’t arrive for another hour or so. But, none of that seemingly mattered. 

He was out once the sliding doors made enough room for him to fit through, looking back to see his soulmate completely taken aback, doe-eyes wide and pretty lips gaping while his friend, San assumed, tried to figure out what he might’ve been staring at. It looked like he’d just seen a ghost.

San sorta wished he was a ghost right then. 

By the time the other stood up and decided to follow San, the doors were already shut. 

The two stared at one another from a distance, San entirely conflicted and Yunho even more confused. Why was his soulmate running away from him? San could ask the same question. 

His own stance on his soulmate versus what he was feeling at the moment was completely different. He wanted to run away, but also felt so drawn towards the other that leaving him behind on the train compelled San to feel guilt. 

The train began moving, San’s eyes following Yunho’s until they were both out of each other’s sights.

Things were changing, guilt was growing. 

San couldn’t stay away from his soulmate forever, could he?

✁

Yunho couldn’t believe what he was looking at when he first saw it. It wasn’t until Seonghwa sat him back down and asked him for the nth time what was wrong when he finally spoke, throat dry.

”That was my soulmate.” He whispered, eyes still big as Seonghwa let out a breath, his own eyes filled with concern while he raised an arm to rest along Yunho’s arm. 

“Is your friend okay?” inquired someone that’d witnessed the entire thing go down, and that was when Yunho realized practically every passenger (except for a woman breastfeeding her infant) were watching him. 

“He’s fine.. Yes, he’s okay.” Seonghwa answered, patting Yunho’s arm a couple of times.

At the time, Yunho was somewhat hurt. With all of the romantic stories he had heard about people meeting their lovers for the first time and how connected and close the two would feel, Yunho didn’t expect his to literally  _run_ away . 

The train stopped at their destination and Seonghwa had to pry Yunho off of his ass and guide him along, dragging the frowning boy towards where his interview would take place. 

“Maybe it was a misunderstanding.. I don’t know, it looked to me like they were scared? Yunho, darling, they’ll come around..” Seonghwa reassured, “There’s a first time for everything, and sometimes those first times are just.. too overwhelming for some people to handle.” He said, wrapping a comforting arm around the silent boy and walking along with him. 

Yunho was hopeful, he knew that. Maybe Seonghwa was right. They’d come around soon enough.. right? 

Seonghwa’s interview seemed to be a success and as much as Yunho wanted to congratulate the other for not freezing up, he didn’t have the energy. Seonghwa understood, taking the other home and making sure he was okay enough to spend the night by himself. 

Yunho wouldn’t keep him there, knowing that Hongjoong was waiting for him at home. 

“Yeah.. Just a misunderstanding.” Yunho began telling himself at night, searching for any possible reason why what happened happened, instead of accepting the harsh reality that he wasn’t  wanted  by his destined lover. 

It was all a misunderstanding. Things would get better and his soulmate change his mind about how he feels. 

God, he hoped his soulmate would change his mind. 

_‘Cause I’m in love with bad luck, I’m in love with bad luck. Move too close, get caught up. Move too close, get caught up._


End file.
